Need help buying a 40"+ HDTV

[EQTitan]

Ok, so, my wife and I have decided to toss the 36" tube we have for the likes of a nice 40" big screen TV. We don't know much about big screens so I have come here asking for some knowledgeable assistance. This will be for a home viewing/media center pc

We currently have a 36" monster CRT TV with just basic cable TV and we are looking in the range of 40"+ screens. Our plans are to just to HD/ATSC over cable if the TV has a built in tuner. Here are the budgeting terms we have agreed on.

Total - $900/1100 range
40" - ??"
HDMI, DVI (for monitor use)
must have a clean, crisp, sharp picture....

If you have any questions for us please feel free to post, and one of us will reply ASAP...

 

[krotchy]

Related to monitor use:
First off, any new HDTV should have 1 or more HDMI ports. Rarely do they ever have DVI ports, since HDMI and DVI are identical spec's video-wise but HDMI adds audio. Some TV's have VGA but lately ive been seeing less with it. When using a TV as a computer monitor, 1080p is a must in my opinion. 1080p is not necessarily needed for TV/Movie watching, but when you consider that a 720p TV has a lower resolution than a 19" monitor that you can get for 100 bucks AR, then youll see why.

In the ~40" range, you should be able to find a nice 1080p LCD to fit your needs. Vizio's 42in 1080p and Westinghouse's 42in 1080p TX series should both suit you well and fit your budget. Both of these are capable of 0 underscan viewing I am pretty sure (check www.avsforum.com on any TV you want to buy before you do)

In the 900-1100 dollar range for Plasmas, you are not going to find 1080p for sure, but you might be able to find something larger at 720p. Plasmas are great for TV/Movie watching, but screen glare makes them worthless in very bright rooms. Also they are not good as computer monitors due to minor burn in issues (rare these days)

DLP is generally not found under 50" but you should be able to find one around 50" at 720p in your price range, or possibly a slightly older stock 1080p one if you get lucky. These are not great as monitors due to viewing angles, and you have to be sure to check if they allow no-underscan, as some always overscan, making them terrible as monitors.

Overall in your budget/size need I suggest grabbing a 1080p LCD with a built in tuner. It might be worthwhile to up to your budget a little and look into Phillips, Sharp or Samsung in the 40-42in 1080p size ranges, as they have a bit better reliability than Vizio/Westinghouse, but most likely none of them will be an issue.

Again before you buy anything goto www.avsforum.com and find the thread on the TV you are settling on. Don't get too scared of them as the people there tend to make all small issues sound like the end of the world, but it is a good source of info if you can filter through it all.

 

[EQTitan]

I work in the Cable industry (#2 Cable provider in my area), so I listen to people complain about there TV's all day long.

 

[kalrith]

What is the distance from your eyes to the screen? That makes a big difference in whether or not you need 1080p. Also, will your PC usage be mainly for media purposes, or will this TV act as a computer monitor for general usage, gaming, etc.?

Also, here's a link to a TV-size calculator so that you can compare TV sizes of different aspect ratios and compare the size of displaying different content on them. Your 36" TV screen is roughly the same height of a 44" HDTV (I know they don't come in that size). So, if you display SD content with the side bars on it, the picture will be smaller on a 40" or even a 42" HDTV than on your current TV. I would recommend either increasing your budget to about $1,400ish to get the Panasonic 50PX75U or get a 50+" DLP, which would fit in your budget as long as you shop around.

 

[zinfamous]

for ~ 40", you really don't need 1080. 720 should be just fine (as kalrith mentioned). I have a 42" plasma 720p that works really well for me (paid $999 last year on Black Friday)

the plasma/lcd thing seems geared more towards personal preference than anything else. Many people say that plasma (and even 720p--well, that was an old argument anyway, not sure if it sitll holds true) is better for watching film. Deeper, sharper colors as well. plasma tends to be more expensive, and heavier than LCD. Both are great though.

bear in mind that any in-store comparisons you do are going to be very innacurate. the big boxers pump up the display models' contrast and brightness well beyond tolerable levels.

I don't know much about DLP, so can't offer any advice there. If you do go Plasma, then be sure to consider the first 50-100 hour break-in period (keep the settings low, zoomed-in, etc..) You'd have to tolerate a rather crappy image for that time, but it's worth it.

 

[EQTitan]

Well this tv will be for streaming audio/video/pictures from my server to a mediaplayer like Tvisito not much gaming on this unless it can handle it but mostly for checking stocks email etc....

 

[kalrith]

Just to give you an idea of what's out there, here's a link to a 57" 1080p DLP for $1,200 shipped from Amazon.com. Amazon has free white-glove delivery, which means the delivery drivers will bring the TV into your home, unbox it, and put it on the stand for you. This not only saves the trouble of getting someone to help you do that, but it gives you plenty of opportunity to check for damages before signing for delivery. I just noticed that TV on another deals forum, so I can't attest to its quality.

I know this is a little bit above your budget, but if you had to pay tax on $1,100, then you would be very close to $1,200. Also, I'm still wondering what your viewing distance is. If it's 6 feet compared to 16 feet, that will make a huge difference on what size and resolution to recommend.

Use this chart as a basic guide for the viewing distance/screen size/resolution decision. For example, I sit 10 feet away from the TV, so I won't see any benefits of 1080p on a 50" TV. If I were purchasing a 60-65", however, I would definitely want to get 1080p since 720p would look more grainy.

 

[EQTitan]

ok, not currently at home but my guess for our living room would be roughly 6-10ft depending which seat I sit in.

If we decide to move this the TV into the basement about 8-12ft

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: EQTitan
Well this tv will be for streaming audio/video/pictures from my server to a mediaplayer like Tvisito not much gaming on this unless it can handle it but mostly for checking stocks email etc....

Again, try to determine priorities. 720p is plenty for watching movies/TV, but if your trading stocks on this thing, 1080p is almost necessary unless you dont ever have too many open at once.

I dont know how much stock trading you do, but most people I know who trade have 2-4 monitors with stuff open all over the place. If thats the case 720p has no chance of sufficing.

For reference:
19in LCD = 1280x1024
720p TV = 1280x720 (or 1366x768 typically, or Rectangle Pixel 1024x768 for some plasmas)
1080p TV = 1920x1080

At 6-10 feet reading stocks text in 720p is easy and not bad at 1080p either.
At 8-12 feet 1080p would start to get rough for reading text, but 720p is easier.

 

[kalrith]

Well, at 6-8 feet a 42" 720p TV would probably be fine. Many people prefer a 50" between 8-10 feet and a larger TV beyond that distance. All of this is largely personal preference. The chart I linked is mainly to see if your eyes can possibly tell the difference between 720p and 1080p at a certain distance with a certain screen size. It would probably be a good idea to take exact measurements of viewing distance. If you really will vary between 6 and 10 feet away, then I would recommend getting a 50" 1080p DLP (or some other rear-projection technology). You won't notice the 1080p at 10 feet, but you'll definitely notice it at 6 feet. You might even want to go bigger than 50" if the majority of viewing will be at 10 feet away.

I'd recommend taking a tape measurer with you to the store and watching different TVs from different viewing distances. This is mainly to get an idea of what size and resolution you would want for your home. Be careful not to put too much stock into how the TVs look in the store, because they're all in "torch mode" (max brightness & contrast), and they're trying to compete with the bright lights and with the other TVs. When you get a TV home in a darker environment and turn those settings down, they'll look so much different that the best-looking TV in the store will most likely not be the best-looking TV for your home.

 

[EQTitan]

Looking at these:

Vizio #L42HDTV10A
Vizio #VX42LHDTV
Philips Plasma #42PFP5332D/37
Westinghouse #LTV40W1HD

All at Sam's Club under $900

 

[kalrith]

If you would be willing to sign up for a Sears card or already have one, there are some great deals there. The give an additional $150 off of a 40-49" TV and an additional $250 off of a 50+" TV for using a Sears card. The discount is an instant rebate in the store and a mail-order rebate if you order online. They recently had the Panasonic 42" plasmas for $950 with the Sears card, and they might still have them in the store. They also have a 42" Olevia for $850 with the Sears card.

It might be worth it to take a look at a local Sears to see what they have in stock.

 

[EQTitan]

My wife and I are currently rebuilding our credit, so attempting a CC is not an option at this time. Were doing cash.

 

[kalrith]

I assume from your list that you've decided on flat panel. I'm not too familiar with those specific TVs, but you might be able to find some reviews on them or at least experiences at avsforum.com. Just from a technology standpoint, I would expect the plasma to deliver the best picture of the bunch, but that is a somewhat subjective decision. Be sure that whatever TV you choose has all of the features you want (tuners, enough HDMI ports, VGA, etc.). Those were just examples since I'm not sure what you want besides computer connectivity, which could be VGA or DVI to HDMI, and an ATSC tuner.

 

[EQTitan]

Yeah, and I posted in the correct forum over on AVS and no response from anyone....

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: EQTitan
Yeah, and I posted in the correct forum over on AVS and no response from anyone....

AVS gets bombarded with help-me-choose threads, and lot of them are very similar. I often find myself posting the same information in several different posts. I'd recommend reading some threads started by others. It's better to post in a thread that's already going than to start your own thread.

 

[chucky2]

I've used my Olevia 32" 72p LCD as my PC monitor (first via VGA and then rapidly switching to DVI) and TV for like 3 years now...plus I just helped did some researce for my cousing a month or so back on getting a LCD TV for the same purposes, so I've got a little share-able info for you:

1.) Unless you're sitting 6' or less away, you need a 37" TV as your PC monitor. More than 9', and I'd say the minimum would be 42". You can see what you're doing, however, eye strain quickly develops. This only be exacerbated when getting 1080p, which is something you definitely need, see 2 below.

2.) If you are using this TV as your PC monitor, get a TV that does native 1080p (1920x1080x60fps). Some TV's will take a 1080p signal and then downscale it to 1366x768, which is not what you want. Using 720p resolution (1280x760) is not really fun because it doesn't offer enough screen real estate when using multiple windows - heck, even using one window sometimes it doesn. You should be getting 1080p anways for video viewing purposes, as in a year, quality HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray players will be in the sub-$200 range, making them very affordable. Getting a TV now that doesn't do 1080p just doesn't make sense.

3.) PQ on the cheaper brands, overall, is not going to be as good as on the higher priced brands. It is true that you do pay for a name to some degree (Sony or Bose immediately come to mind), however that name (at least in the case of Sony) does at least bring you better performance.

Overall through what I was able to dig up (and I have absolutely no brand preference), the Philips 42PFL7432D/37 is probably one of the best overall 42" 1080p LCD TV's out there. It comes with Ambilight technology, which most prefer to leave on once they get used to it. For around $150 less, you can get the Philips 42PFL7422D/37 which drops the Ambilight - other than not having Ambilight, they are the exact same TV.

The Philips 42PFP5332D/37 that you listed is a 1366x768 native TV (so, not 1080p), and it's video processing engine is not as advanced as the 42PFL7432D/37 slash 42PFL7422D/37...which in addition to not being 1080p is why it's cheaper. Really, because it's not 1080p, it should be ruled out from PC use IMHO.

JMHO's, good luck on your search!

Chuck

 

[EQTitan]

I'm not sure, if it's blank on your screen but I do have a budget. It can't be stretched any further then what is listed. But thank you for the insight...

 

[spidey07]

In all seriousness you might want to go for a larger TV. If it's not in your budget now, then wait.

At that distance you should be looking at a 50+ TV.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: spidey07
In all seriousness you might want to go for a larger TV. If it's not in your budget now, then wait.

At that distance you should be looking at a 50+ TV.

This is good advice, and it's what I'm doing right now. The TV I want is not in my budget, so I'm going to wait until the price comes down a bit. I plan to use the TV for at least 5 years, so waiting 3-6 months to get it is nothing compared to how long I will enjoy the TV.

 

[EQTitan]

50+" would be way to big and we'd be way to close IMO....

 

[chucky2]

Originally posted by: EQTitan
I'm not sure, if it's blank on your screen but I do have a budget. It can't be stretched any further then what is listed. But thank you for the insight...

You already have a TV, so it's not like you're going without.

You'll appreciate a nice TV (such as the two Philips I listed) a lot more down the road if you can wait for a good 42" 1080p LCD TV to be available at what you can afford than if you go with something lesser now just to satisfy the new TV itch.

By Dec., you'll have more saved up and the Philips can probably be had for around $1200 I bet, maybe even less if Philips puts out a new model. Samsung would also be another good brand to look at in the LCD TV world. Just make sure it's got the right stuff...

Chuck

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: EQTitan
50+" would be way to big and we'd be way to close IMO....

Suit yourself. If you really want to take advantage of HD you should be looking at 50+.

 

[dclive]

I just got the 42" Panasonic plasma (720p) at Sears. $999 pricematch to Fry's, then $150 credit card discount. Net price of about $850 plus tax. The stupid clerk didn't know about the free (up to $200) installation discount, so I didn't take advantage of that (set it up myself).

Most reviews I read say there's little difference in 720p vs 1080p when viewing televised content; I wouldn't stress out on the difference unless you plan to use it as a computer monitor (this isn't something I consider important). I had a Sharp 1080p 32" attached to a computer, but...I've already got monitors; why wouldn't I want to use a TV as a TV?

So - I'd jump on the 42" Panny Plasma, 75U model. It's highly rated, and I'm very pleased with mine, and for "just" $850-ish.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: kalrith
Just to give you an idea of what's out there, here's a link to a 57" 1080p DLP for $1,200 shipped from Amazon.com. Amazon has free white-glove delivery, which means the delivery drivers will bring the TV into your home, unbox it, and put it on the stand for you. This not only saves the trouble of getting someone to help you do that, but it gives you plenty of opportunity to check for damages before signing for delivery. I just noticed that TV on another deals forum, so I can't attest to its quality.

nice deal!